Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Holdings Boosted by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 51.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 611,146 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 207,714 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Vericel were worth $28,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vericel by 9.7% in the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,484 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 86.1% in the first quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 482 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Vericel by 0.4% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 89,500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,656,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 319.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 662 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 1.3% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 41,768 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,173,000 after buying an additional 541 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VCEL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on Vericel in a report on Friday, August 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com raised shares of Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Vericel currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.75.

Vericel Stock Performance

NASDAQ VCEL opened at $43.70 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -4,370.00 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s fifty day moving average is $48.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.44. Vericel Co. has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $54.10.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10). Vericel had a net margin of 0.37% and a return on equity of 0.35%. The business had revenue of $52.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $52.59 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.11) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Vericel Co. will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

In related news, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 6,772 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.02, for a total value of $304,875.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,924.74. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 1,474 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.84, for a total transaction of $67,568.16. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,324.08. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 6,772 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.02, for a total transaction of $304,875.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 487 shares in the company, valued at $21,924.74. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 46,291 shares of company stock valued at $2,329,169 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

About Vericel

Vericel Corporation, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and distribution of cellular therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care markets in North America. The company markets autologous cell therapy products comprising MACI, an autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane for the repair of symptomatic, and single or multiple full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee; Epicel, a permanent skin replacement humanitarian use device for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with deep-dermal or full-thickness burns; and NexoBrid, a biological orphan product for eschar removal in adults with deep partial-thickness and/or full-thickness thermal burns.